Four Joffrey Artists Take Their Final Bows

Date

Category Inside the Studio

Celebrating the careers of Joffrey's Company Artists

The Joffrey celebrates the careers of our Company Artists who take their final bows at the close of the 2023-2024 season: Brooke Linford, Graham Maverick, Princess Reid, and Christine Rocas, who retires after nearly 20 illustrious years at the Joffrey. 

We are grateful for their talent, dedication, and contributions to the Joffrey, which have inspired us all. Bidding farewell to these four remarkable artists, we remember the legacy they leave behind. And as they embark on new journeys, we send them our love, and our best wishes for success and fulfillment in the chapters ahead. 

Brooke Linford

Brooke Linford has been a Company Artist with The Joffrey Ballet since 2014. She is from Alpine, Utah, and received her early training at Jacqueline's School of Ballet. In 2011, she competed in the YAGP New York finals and was offered a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, which she attended from 2011-2012. In 2012, she attended the Joffrey Academy of Dance trainee program and danced in lead roles such as the Sugar Plum Fairy and original works by Alexei Kremnev.

Since joining the Joffrey Ballet, Linford has danced works by John Neumeier , George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Cathy Marston, Justin Peck, Andrew McNicol, and Liam Scarlett as well as featured roles in Don Quixote, Nicolas Blanc’s Beyond the Shore and Under the Trees Voices, Chanel DaSilva’s colōrem, Christopher Wheeldon’s Commedia, Stephanie Martinez’s BLISS, Andrea Walker’s HOME, and Wayne McGregor’s INFRA. 

 

Graham Maverick

Graham Maverick started his ballet training with his mother and Ruby (Harold) Christensen at the age of three. He continued his training with the San Francisco Ballet School at age seven, staying there until he was 19 years old. 

While at the San Francisco Ballet, he performed the role of Prince in The Nutcracker for two years and danced many other children’s parts throughout the years. Maverick additionally appeared in many other ballet productions with the company and in the annual Spring Student Showcase. 

In the summer of 2006, he trained at the School of American Ballet under Jock Soto. As a Trainee at the San Francisco Ballet, he worked with and performed choreography by John Neumeier, Helgi Tomasson, and Parrish Maynard. He also performed in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In the spring of 2008, he received The Bay Area Ballet Award for the best young ballet dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; this culminated in his participation at the 2008 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

Since joining the Joffrey Ballet in 2008, Maverick has danced numerous ballets and participated in the creation of various new works. He has performed works by choreographers such as John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Justin Peck. He has performed leading roles in several ballets, including Peter in Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker and Levin in Yuri Possokov’s Anna Karenina. Since living in Chicago, Maverick has regularly performed in the Chicago Dancing Festival, Dance Chance, and Dance for Life. 

 

Princess Reid

Company Artist with the Joffrey since 2018, Princess Reid grew up in Jacksonville, FL. She started studying ballet at age seven at The Florida Ballet under the direction of Laurie Picinich-Byrd and later Linda Jenkins, where she danced until she was 18. Soon after, she joined Orlando Ballet's second company in 2015, staying until May 2018. While in Orlando, Reid performed in Don Quixote, Serenade, and Val Caniparoli's A Cinderella Story, to name a few. 

Reid was also given the opportunity to perform Robert Hill's Requiem at the American Dance Competition gala in 2016. In June 2018, she competed in the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. In 2021, she was invited to dance in USA IBC’s gala where she performed an excerpt from Gerald Arpino’s Kettentanz. 

Since joining Joffrey she’s had the privilege of performing many wonderful works including Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Yuri Possokov’s Anna Karenina and Don Quixote (Cupid), Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, Hummingbird and Frankenstein, Gerald Arpino’s Suite Saint-Saëns, and Birthday Variations, Chanel Da Silvia’s colōrem, John Neumier’s The Little Mermaid, George Balanchine’s Serenade (Four Russian Girls) and Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing. 

 

Christine Rocas

Christine Rocas was born in San Diego, California, and grew up in the Philippines. She began studying dance at the age of eight and was a member of the Philippine National Rhythmic Gymnastics Team from 1996 to 2001. She performed with Ballet Manilla from 1998 to 2005, dancing principal roles in ballet including The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote. She received a finalist certificate in the Junior Division of the 9th Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition in 2003, a full scholarship to the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland in 2004, and was a junior division semi-finalist at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition, the silver medalist at the New York International Ballet Competition where she received the Arpino Award (garnering her a one-year contract with The Joffrey Ballet), all in 2005.

Ms. Rocas then moved to the United States and joined the Joffrey. During her career with the company, she has danced numerous leading roles in ballets by Gerald Arpino (Light Rain, Reflections, Round of Angels, Sea Shadow, The Nutcracker); Sir Frederick Ashton (The Dream, Cinderella); George Balanchine (Apollo, Prodigal Son, The Four Temperaments, Stravinsky Violin Concerto); William Forsyth (In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated); Ronald Hynd (The Merry Widow); Kurt Jooss (The Green Table); Cathy Marston (Jane Eyre); Wayne McGregor (INFRA); Krzysztof Pastor (Romeo & Juliet); John Neumeier (Sylvia); Marius Petipa, staged by Lola D’Avila (Giselle); Justin Peck (In Creases, The Times Are Racing, Year of the Rabbit); and Jerome Robbins (In the Night, Interplay). Her role as Juliet garnered a glowing review as “mesmerizing” from Perform.Ink.

Known for her “effortless beauty” and “blissful onstage presence” (Dance magazine), she is known for her “exuberant lyricism” (Bachtrack) and ability to fully inhabit each role with a pristine, all-encompassing approach. Ms. Rocas participated in the creative process with many choreographers creating original roles in world premiere works from Nicolas Blanc (Beyond the Shore, Evenfall, Under the Trees); Val Caniparoli (Incantations); James Kudelka (Pretty BALLET); Jessica Lang (Crossed); Edwaard Liang (Age of Innocence, Woven Dreams); Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa (Mammatus); Ashley Page (Tipping Point); Yuri Possokhov (Anna Karenina, Bells, Don Quixote); Stanton Welch (Son of Chamber Symphony); and Christopher Wheeldon (The Nutcracker). Other notable roles include Romeo and Juliet balcony pas de deux by Augustus Damian III, a world premiere by Martin Lawrence, and an originating role in the ballet/opera Orphee and Eurydice by John Neumeier. She was also featured in the short film Bertha choreographed by Cathy Marston, and two music videos (Red Violin Caprices, Valse Triste) with internationally acclaimed violinist Philippe Quint.